Who is Richard Olise? Chelsea Reece James alternative and Bayern star's brother breaks through

When Chelsea announced that Olise had signed a contract with the club in May 2024 it was a big moment. Unfortunately for those who thought that then-Crystal Palace forward Michael had been announced out of nowhere, it wasn't to be.

However, Olise's brother, Richard, looks set to do something that Michael never did; play a game for Chelsea. The 20-year-old has now been included in his first matchday squad for the club and is in line to feature against Astana on Thursday.

Benefitting from Enzo Maresca's plans to fully rotate out any semblance of his Premier League squad entirely from the Conference League travelling group to Kazakhstan, 11 Cobham academy hopefuls have been given the nod and Olise, now a regular with the Under-21 side, is one of two natural right-sided defenders.

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Along with Josh Acheampong - who is set to start at right-back having been integrated into the side once more - Olise fits the spot as an attacking full-back. Axel Disasi has been shoe-horned in for the role so far this season.

With Reece James and Wesley Fofana both injured and not in the midweek plans for Maresca, a spot has opened up for Olise. But just who is the lesser-known brother of Bayern Munich's new right-winger? football.london has all you need to know.

Who is Richard Olise?

Born in September 2004, three years after Michael, Richard Olise is a Londoner who is still eligible to represent England, France (like his brother), Algeria and Nigeria. A dynamic full-back-cum-wing-back, Olise has everything required of a modern defender.

Right-footed and less glitzy and glamorous than his older sibling, Olise has recovered from three seasons of injury woes to make a real name for himself in the Under-21 side. Despite being one of the older players in Felipe Coelho's Development Squad, he is still forging a pathway to first-team football.

Olise has played six times this campaign - prior to the Astana game - in Premier League 2 action, scoring once and assisting another, including his first for the club in a win over Fulham. He is contracted with Chelsea until June 2025 with the option of adding another year having signed an extension in May 2024.

He has been called up for England's Under-18 side once, making a single appearance, but he's yet to get back into the fold at a higher age group since 2021. Speaking in 2022 about his game, Olise explained how he joined Chelsea.

"I have basically been playing football my whole life," he said in an interview as a teenager. "I started out playing Sunday league football from a very early age and then at the age of six I was scouted by Chelsea and here I am."

Olise continued: "I would love to be mentored by Reece James. He could definitely help me with my crossing ability and get me to a level where I am a constant threat if given the opportunity to deliver balls into the box."

He finished: "I really want to improve my one-vs-one attacking. In today's game full-backs need to be able to attack and I think that if I can improve that, it will help my game tremendously."